The Pond, a ten minute play by Ash Cole
by Ash Cole
Summary: John, a jogger, meet Robyn, and takes her life away, before a remote pond.


p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The Pond/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Lights up./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWe hear the sound of tiny waves slap against a muddy shore. Geese call out. It is nearly sunrise. A rusted gazebo appears before us. Sunlight arises as the sun slowly reveals a rustic forgotten wooden meeting place. The gazebo has been skinned, due to many droughts and overheated days. It needs a new coat of paint, and mostly reveals grey wood, scrapped painted benches and withered stair unit. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA small bridge connects the shore to the gazebo. The bridge should vanish off stage./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA man, John, handsome and well built, approaches the bridge. He is dressed in an expensive white two-piece jogging jump suite. The suit reads strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"Runners, inc/strong. in big white letters. An unlit cigarette hangs from his lips as he lightly jogs over the gazebo bridge. He takes a seat on one of the gazebos weathered seats. He removes a mobile phone from his jumpsuit pocket. He takes out some earplugs and plugs them into his mobile phone. He turns on some classical rock and begins rocking out. Next, he gazes out over the pond and begins to imaginarily draw it with the tip of cigarette. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"After a moment of drawing in the air, he notices dirt under his fingernails. John begins cleaning the dirt away with his fingernails. Eventually, he begins chewing on them. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"After they are cleaned, he spits them out into the pond. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Next, he pulls out a pack of menthol cigarettes, retrieves a tiny plastic lighter hidden from within the pack and lights up./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He begins smoking./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He has done this before./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Geese cry out. The sounds of frogs leaping and catfish nipping at the surface loudly arise./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A young woman, Robyn, walks on wearing a white dress. She is young, late teens, and has a nice figure. She is still a young adult and just passed puberty. She hasn't quite figured the world out around her. She has decided to park at the pond, smoke and go over her future plans. She carefully looks under her feet as she walks over the bridge toward the gazebo. She looks at the young man pantomiming drawing the pond with his cigarette. She notices he is rocking out to his cell phone tunes. She eyes the man up and down and decides to invade his privacy./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"She has never done this before./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI've seen you before./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI come here on Sundays. Usually not on style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanSaturdays I stay in. . .rest./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou smoke?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNo./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI come on Sundays, sometimes. Saturdays, style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanAlways morning./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanThat's my first workday of the week./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanWhat Saturday?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNo. Sunday./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanOh. Okay. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Suddenly, we are interrupted by a vibrating noise. It is John's cell phone. It is a bright red cell. He quickly thumbs it off. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanMy buddies been bothering me about a jobspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanoffer. He wants me to sell door to door./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanDoor to door salesman. In this heat?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanIt's for damaged roofs. Hail style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanHe own's a roofing company down style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanIn Austin. . . .you like these public style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThese duck pond scenes?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanIts old fashion. I come here to style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanRest my mind, too. Rest my eyes fromspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanall the parking lots and style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanStuff like. . . /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohn span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanAnd fast foods and Seven style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanIts pure here. Quiet./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYep.. . .I've never done this. Been style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanAlone, I mean, like this./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The vibrating noise goes off again. John pulls out a blue cell phone./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanHe doesn't give up. But neither do style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanI'm very persistent. How old are you?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanHow old do I look?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanI can't tell. Over eighteen?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanWell, yeah./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNever scene you style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI don't come every weekend./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI hate getting back in the style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanHitting the highway. Leaving the style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanThe geese. Bullfrogs. Catfish,nappin'./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou have two different colored cell phones./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanHuh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanEarlier. You answered a red one. Member?span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanOh. That was for business. The others style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanLike home and office./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI notice small things like that. . .span style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanSo you fish, here? Or just take in the view./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanBoth. I fish the view./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanThat sounds poetic./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI'm poetic. Or, I love em all. You read?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI was in honor English classes. span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanWho's your favorite?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanFavorite, what?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanPoets, silly. You got a short chair memory./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNo. Member I spotted your red and blue colored span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanphones. Your into door to door sales for a roofingspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spancompany and you smoke menthol./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanVery observant. The last lady I meant out herespan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanwas, too? She turned out to be a real drag./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou've met someone out here before?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJust a brief conversation. I didn't take her homespan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanor nuttin./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI have to admit you are kind curt. Striking style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI take it you jog? Work out?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanCan you image me jogging and smoking./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanThat's funny. Never thought. . ./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou know I went to college. I studied style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanLittle art. Painting. style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHave you read uThe Cave/u. That Plato style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanPlato, trip?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanOh. That Plato, story. uThe Cave/u? Have you. . .span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanWe read it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI was rereading it the other day. . .span style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanI like the whole idea. Born in a style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanOur whole life we are looking out from aspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spancave's darkness. Trying to see the style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI don't remember it too much. I think it wasspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanone of those overnight reads. . .what's it calledspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanwhen you slam it all in overnight? span style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanLately, been reading bible a lot. I'm thinkingspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanabout majoring in religious studies./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanSlam it all in. . . overnight?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou know speed read. Read it the night before. . ./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanOh. Cramming. You were cramming it style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanThe cave? Really?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /span It was one of those reads I crammed inspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span after a night of 'girls-night-out.'span style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /span Sue me./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /span That's a shame. You should reread style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /span Take your time with it, next time./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /span span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGoes for many stories./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhat's your favorite, though?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanPoetry. Narrative. Fiction. Non-fiction. Persuasive? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFiction?. . . Drama? Whatever./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMid Summers Night Dream./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOh, yes. Can't beat a Mid Summers./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd you?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI like early works like Plato, Homer. Greek?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhat about Modernist. . .or post modernist?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI don't know about post modernist. . .I know a story /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We hear ducks land on the surface of the pond and quack./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHave you read. Its that story about them escape span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanconvicts that hold that family hostage. . .ah. . ./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanuA Good Man's Hard to Find/u?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He offers her a cigarette. She turns him down./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNo thanks. . .Flannery. . .O. . ./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanO'conner./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAre you a feminist?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIs she?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWell. Sort of, kind of. . .I guess not really. I span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spandon't know. I guess just a Southernist style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNever, really considered exactly what she was./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe hits home with me. Southern chick talk./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYeah. Her characters are grotesque./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanReal to life./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanScary to./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHave you read, uWiser Blood/u?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNo. Just her essays and uA Good Man/u . . .span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span. . .uIs Hard to Find/u. One is hard to find./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGee, you think?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWould you like to go out for some pizza and movie, span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spansometime? I know a really good place to eat around span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanhere? Your old enough to drink, aren't ya?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNext summer I could. But I can still eat?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYour too skinny. You look like you could use a good span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanmeal. Let me take you out. You like Pizza?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI love pizza. Who doesn't?span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 8;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen, pizza it is./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanWhat if I told you I wanted to drown you in this lake./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanWell, that's grotesque. Like something out ofspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spana southern drama, like Flannery O'con. . ./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanConner. Hm. But your suppn' pretty./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanThat's no reason to drown someone./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanBut to me it is./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou want to drown me because I'm pretty./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI was going to take you out. The style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanThe wine. Maybe a movie. The whole nine style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanBut, not today. See, I'm just going to drown you span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanhere. In this pond. Leave you here for dead. Under dis span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanvery spot. Eventually, I'll stick your head under the span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanwater. With these hands. I'll dip your mouth and nose span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanunder that lukewarmspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanwater down there. Cut you off span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanfrom this world. With theses hands. Hold you under span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanthere until you can no longer breath anymore. Maybe span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanyou'd see fish under there; while you drownin'. Maybe span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spana snake. Maybe the last lady I left under there. Her span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spaneyes all wide and scared. Crazy lookin like this./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /span(He makes crazy eyes at her.)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanHer eyes all big. Face all bloated. Blue or black or span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanyellow or white. . .just hanging under the water, span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spangetting eatin' by minnows. She's now. . .all swollen, span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spansmelly and dead. . .frogs crawling under her skin by span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spannow. See, I carefully weighted her down with those span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanheavy rocks I could fish up along the banks, see. See span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanem? I put em under there. See em?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He points under the gazebo's floorboards. She begins to giggle./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanLook! I dug those rocks, right there. I dug em' up span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanover there with my nails along side this very pond. span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGathered em' up to weigh you and that pretty dress span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spandown. So nobody will find your pretty corpse after it span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanhits bottom. So you'll never float back up to the top. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDone it here before. . .many times. . .See, that's span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanwhy, that's why I keep those rocks gathered under this span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanvery gazebo for girls just like you. See? Look at them span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanscratchesspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI've made along bank over there. See, em? span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSee? See, it's pretty much planned. See, all those span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanmissing rocks! Mos don't notice stuff span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanlike that. Like the ladies that I have put under. span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanPeople have been reported missing around these parts. span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanMany been reported missing lately in this very county. span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanDon't you read the news?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobyn span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanOkay. I'm officially creeped out. This conversation'sspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanover./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNo, its not. Come here./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"John steps in front of her blocking her path. He smiles at her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanExcuse me. You've gone too style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanUhm, excuse me. You need to move./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI don't need to do shit./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou need to move, buddy. Better move, now./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanI don't need to./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYou have to move, now./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNobody needs to do style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanThe only thing you have to do in this world,span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanis die. A pretty lady like you once taught me that./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanRobynspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanYour so full of shit./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanNo. No. I'm not. Not exactly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"John lunges. He secures a tight grip at her neck. She hits back./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanPawing at me ain't gonna do it, babe./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"She tries to scream but no air escapes. She begins to turn bright style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /span. . .better not waist your style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanAnd you thought yer going to get pizzaspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanand a movie./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"She beats on him. John just puts more force into his grip. She slows./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanShhhhh. It'll be over soon. Just style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanJust pretend we are eating pizza andspan style="mso-tab-count: 7;" /spanwatching a movie in some comfy apartment in somespan style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanfancy city. Pretend like we got married. Pretend wespan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanhad children. We are celebrating our ten year style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDouble caramel dipped in chocolate being placed in span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanyour lips. A ten year old swimming in the pool, span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spandog paddling and laughing with his friends. A man. A span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanman much like me holding you. Kisses all over your span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanhead. . .Holding you so tight. So tight. So style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanJust like this, see. . .Just. Like. This./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"She falls limp. John drags her lifeless body off the gazebo and to the pond's bank. He intertwines rocks within her dress and shoves her into the pond./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanJohnspan style="mso-tab-count: 6;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 5;" /spanIt was nice knowing you. Goodbye, Robyn./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The lights slowly fade as bubbles explode at the pond's surface. The last light seen is a fiery cherry puffing bright red at the tip of John's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"CURTAIN/span/p 


End file.
